The elders are on the front line mixing new ideas into old, at the School of American Research meeting for INDIAN BASKETRY ARTISTS OF THE SOUTHWEST. The area still is known for making baskets and pottery. Coiled or plaited or very old twined, the baskets take more time to make.

They also are one of the strongest parts of southwestern cultures, now and back when. Specifically, Hopi indians draw on the oldest known tradition, going back 1,500 years. Generally, southwestern baskets have been popular outside the area, since 1821. The opening of the Santa Fe trail started up some heavy duty trading with the world outside the southwest.

No energy- or time-saving equipment is used, not now or then. But some modern tools can be used. Helpers are tin lids, scissors, pruning shears, knives, fingernail clippers and awls.

But baskets still are made from many of the same old plant parts. Some of the materials are yucca, horsehair or cattail stems for coiling; sunflower seeds for black dye; sumac bush for twining; kaolin clay for natural white to show better; and alder bark for tan, red or brown dyes. Finding them is getting harder, what with plants losing ground to highways, subdivisions and hard-to-predict weather.

It impresses me that each southwestern culture keeps up a different way to start and end baskets. So finely twined baskets are western Apache. They still are needed in the sunrise ceremony, for a girl's coming-of-age. Red willow bowl baskets are made from sacred Rio Grande plants, for Pueblo basket dances. They often hang on the wall, as decoration, between uses. And sumac splints sewn on a triangular 3-rod foundation, with a false braid or herringbone finish, go into Navajo wedding baskets.

Also interestingly, baskets, like other parts of southwestern cultures, tie past, present and future together. This happens with traditional designs. So one favorite design of first man placing stars keeps alive part of the Navajo Genesis. Likewise, another favorite design of a turtle surrounded by clouds and thunder calls to mind the highly successful Hopi rain ceremony.

This well-written book gets to the point, with helpful comments from the artists and with pretty pictures. There's space for it on the shelf with Kathryn N Bernick's BASKETRY AND CORDAGE FROM HESQUIAT HARBOR, Mary Dodds Schlick's COLUMBIA RIVER BASKETRY, and Rachel Nash Law and Cynthia W Taylor's APPALACHIAN WHITE OAK BASKETMAKING.